1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to electrosurgical instruments and, more particularly, to bipolar electro-surgical instruments having an articulating linkage for operating and/or effectuating movement of an end effector thereof.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical procedures of the lungs currently employ Video Assisted Thoroscopic Surgical (VATS) techniques wherein an endoscopic surgical stapler is used to perform wedge resections, lobotomies, segmental resections, wedge biopsies or lung volume reduction surgeries. Typically, the endoscopic surgical stapler can only be activated once per insertion into the thoracic cavity. For most surgical procedures involving the lungs, a single activation of the endoscopic surgical stapler cannot ligate and/or bisect all of the required areas for the given surgical procedure.
Accordingly, if multiple activations of the endoscopic surgical stapler are required to fully complete the surgical procedure, it is necessary to remove the endoscopic surgical stapler from the thoracic cavity after each fire; fit the endoscopic surgical stapler with a new, fully loaded staple cartridge, and reinsert the endoscopic surgical stapler into the thoracic cavity for the next activation thereof.
There is, therefore, a need for a surgical instrument that can be activated repetitively, as many times as the surgical procedure requires or as many times as necessary, without having to remove the surgical instrument from the thoracic cavity.